Celebrating 40 Years in Park Slope
Who would have thought that when we opened the doors to our small parent co-op nursery school in September of 1980 that we would be celebrating our 40th year in the middle of a pandemic? Regardless of all that has come our way over the years, we've always met every challenge we've faced with kindness, determination, and positivity. Our current teachers are no different. They returned strong this fall, ready to create engaging programming within our new normal, and focused on the same goals as always: to create fun learning opportunities where children feel nurtured and respected in their classroom community. As we reflect back on all the wonderful children and families who have come through our doors over the years, we are delighted to have so many wonderful families part of our historic 40th year!
Beansprouts First Graduating Class
A Beansprouts Alumni from our first graduating class with his newly enrolled child!
What's Happening At Beansprouts This Fall?
Fall is a favorite time of year at Beansprouts! Autumn reminds us how fortunate we are to be part of this beautiful neighborhood in Brooklyn. Every class brings the season indoors - in the form of apples, pumpkins, acorns, and the red, yellow, and orange leaves children pick up on the way to school. Every class also ventures outdoors, where evidence of the season blows through on gusty days, or comes drifting down from the trees. The 4s classes make it as far as Prospect Park, where they explore the wide-open spaces. Whether inside or outside the classroom, we feel lucky to accompany the children on these adventures.
Beansprouts Pumpkin Patch
We turned the big yard into a pumpkin patch with over 300 pumpkins waiting to be picked! Each child chose their own pumpkin and brought it back to the classroom to decorate. We carved Jack-o-lanterns and decorated our pumpkins with paints, glue, paper, and jewels. We've read pumpkin stories, learned new songs, and had so much pumpkin fun!
Extending Our Classroom Outdoors
Being able to spend time outside in our beautiful garden and yard spaces has led to many new learning opportunities. We've added a new outdoor kitchen that has expanded on our dramatic play. We've also added jumbo lego builders that the children have built into cars, planes, and helicopters that they can actually fit into! In our little yards, we've added small tables so our classes can spend additional table time outside.
Park Explorations
It's wonderful to have Prospect Park as an extension of our classrooms, and our 4s classes take full advantage of it! We have been busy in the park observing and documenting changes we see as we begin our tree study. We've done bark rubbings, gone on a leaf identification hunt, sketched, collected things for our nature collages, and even found time for some good old fashioned rolling in the grass.
It's been a successful start to our 40th school year and we can't thank you enough for all of your support. It has truly been a collective effort to keep our community healthy and safe during these extraordinary times. Thank you to our teachers, families and maintenance team for all you do to make it possible so that we can come to school everyday. We appreciate each and every one of you!
If you are a prospective family, please join us for a tour to learn more about our program and philosophies!